February 1, 2008 - Arts and Media Preparatory Academy opened in September of 2007 in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn with the goal of offering a caring, small-school environment that prepares students to be college-ready, life-long independent learners and creative thinkers. Their focus on new media, literacy, and the arts helps students to think critically about their world and prepare them for life’s future challenges.

The school challenges students with traditional methods—regular debates, writing, problem solving through investigation and discovery—and contemporary means using technology. “We are very excited about our new program and are thrilled with how engaged our students have been in the creation of new media,” says Ryan Baxter, Media and English Language Arts teacher at the school. “By placing such a strong emphasis on creative thought throughout our curriculum, the goal is to help our students to become more than just technologically skilled but producers of high-quality and innovative media content.”

By the end of their first term, all students have created their own website and have begun to create a school-wide “wiki” that encompasses all of the content learned in each subject area. These technological skills will then be developed even further as the students create a wiki travel guide to New York City – created by teens, for teens. Through the development of these projects, the students will learn to effectively use audio, video, collaborative new media, and the written word to create content that creatively communicates a message and is primed for a 21st century audience.

These wikis, along with the student blogs, will be maintained and developed throughout the students’ four years of high school. As new technologies emerge, the curriculum will continue to adapt and integrate these new forms of media into the daily classroom instruction. The school’s belief in hands-on, project-based learning will keep the students on top of new technologies, and when the time comes to communicate a message, these students will be equipped to choose and use the right tool for the job.

The faculty of Arts & Media Prep hopes to curate a regular colloquium series of guest speakers from different areas of media and entertainment production, including writing, directing, editing, producing, and design. For more information on this and other ways in which you can become involved with the Arts & Media Prep, please visit www.artsmediaprep.org or call 718-773-3908.